Dr. Erica Farmer

Anthropologist and cultural consultant


About me

I’m a multidisciplinary social scientist with a ​background in anthropology, law, and cultural ​heritage. I am especially interested in how social ​structures, institutions, and systems impact the ​choices of individuals and groups, and the ways ​communities built around specific activities function ​and define themselves.


My primary research interests are in cultural ​heritage and cultural property, intellectual property ​in social context(s), culture and language, material ​culture/museum anthropology, anthropology of ​food, and intersectional identities in the ​contemporary world.


Areas of expertise

Law-related

My primary legal specialties are in ​intellectual property law and cultural ​property/cultural heritage law, with a ​focus on the complexities of new ​forms of and targets for IP protection. ​Due to connections with that primary ​work, I also have engaged with law ​and advocacy related to consumer ​protection, administrative and ​regulatory law, international legal ​conventions and related instruments, ​trade law, and land and indigenous ​rights law.


Cu​lture and heritage

I specialize in questions of culture ​and heritage, particularly around the ​ownership and control of cultural ​knowledge and material culture. My ​previous research projects have ​focused on those issues in the ​contexts of law and legal systems, ​museums, and in relation to food ​culture.



Ed​ucation and outreach

I also have extensive experience ​teaching and presenting on my research ​and related content for a range of ​audiences, from university students to ​museum professionals to the general ​public.I have taught university level ​courses in introductory sociocultural ​anthropology, anthropology of gender ​and sexuality, linguistic anthropology, ​material and visual culture, medical ​anthropology, and technology and ​society.


PREVIOUS projects

Geographical ​indications for Food ​and Beverage in France ​and the UK

Sensitive collections ​and intersectional id​entities at the ​Smithsonian ​institution

Heritage and ​reinvention among ​spirits producers in ​the ​MIdatlantic US

Current research interests

  • social structure(s) and agency
  • subcultures, gatekeeping, and social policing
  • inclusive narratives and histories
  • collaborative storytelling and community engagement
  • food and beverage culture

Get in touch

drericafarmer@gmail.com